Hello GG's

Whazzat?
http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id=400

regards
jonathan

Looks like a dedicated washer cutter for cutting rather large washers.

Ed O'

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Peck [mailto:jpeck@m...] 

Whazzat? http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id=400

Jonathan wrote:

>
>Whazzat?
>http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id=400
>
This looks to be a nice example of Isaac W. Heysinger's patented washer 
cutter, dated Oct 16, 1883.

It's a real nice one to start a collection with, or bring some serious bucks 
(for a washer cutter) from a collector.

Sandy.  In Massachusetts where it is snowing like H*ll.

_________________________________________________________________
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At 07:01 PM 5/7/04, cpmueller@c... wrote:
>Galooterati,
>
>So many whatsits, so little time.  Now that I can post some pictures of 
>puzzling planes, let me offer this one up.  This plane looks like a coffin 
>smoother but one side of the base is straight, not curved.  The straight 
>side has the mouth let in so the iron can snug up against some work but 
>it's not like a rabbet plane.  And no nicker either.
>
>Find the pix here, all the way at the 
>end:  http://home.comcast.net/~cpmueller/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html
>
>There are some other puzzling things about it too.  Like what is "shear 
>steel?"
>
>I'd like to know what this tool is/was used for.  Can anyone please help?

Wow..that's a find.  Taylor & Son worked 1843-51.  Rated Uncommon in 
Goodman's.  Looks to be some sort of inside rabbet plane.  Was probably for 
a special job that someone needed to do.  That iron and signed cap are great!

Tony

                         Olde River Hard Goods
                             350 West Catawissa Street
                               Nesquehoning PA 18240
                                         570-669-9421
               The best old tool store in Pennsylvania!
                     http://www.oldetoolshop.com  

>>>
>>>There are some other puzzling things about it too.  Like what is
>>>"shear steel?"
>>>
*********** cut and paste begins *************
Until 1742, producing steel was a difficult task. The quality of the steel
was often unreliable. The steel was made by heating iron bars which were
covered in charcoal. The heating was continued for up to a week. The
material produced was called blister steel.
Blister steel was then turned into shear steel by wrapping blister steel
bars up in a bundle and then heating them again before forging the bundle.
The heat and the action of the forge hammer welded the rods together as they
were hammered to the size required. This shear steel was used to make
razors, files, knives, swords and the other steel items for which Sheffield
became famous.

******************* cut and paste ends here ***************

Basically they would surface harden the skins and the weld the bundle
to disperse the carbon throughout.

cheers,
greg

Pete Mueller asked:

>>So many whatsits, so little time.  Now that I can post some 
>>pictures of puzzling planes, let me offer this one up.  This plane 
>>looks like a coffin smoother but one side of the base is straight, 
>>not curved.  The straight side has the mouth let in so the iron can 
>>snug up against some work but it's not like a rabbet plane.  And no 
>>nicker either.
>>
>>Find the pix here, all the way at the end: 
>>http://home.comcast.net/~cpmueller/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html
>>
>>There are some other puzzling things about it too.  Like what is 
>>"shear steel?"
>>
>>I'd like to know what this tool is/was used for.  Can anyone please help?

Tony Seo replied:

>Wow..that's a find.  Taylor & Son worked 1843-51.  Rated Uncommon in 
>Goodman's.  Looks to be some sort of inside rabbet plane.  Was 
>probably for a special job that someone needed to do.  That iron and 
>signed cap are great!

Very unusual plane - especially with one straight and one curved cheek.

It could be viewed as a smooth sized badger plane, but that is a bit
problematic since the name, badger, typically implies a toted plane of
jack size. Or, it might be thought of as a "Smooth [size] Raising Plane"
(so named in many 19th century British plane maker's price lists),
though these usually had a fence and, possibly, a nicker and/or depth
stop.

Take your pick? :-)

With reference to the James Cam cap iron, the usual understanding is
that James Cam first appeared as a file maker in a 1787 directory
listing. Then in a partnership of Cam & Brown, edge tool makers, at
52 Norfolk Street, in 1797. By 1817, the firm was, once again, listed
as James Cam, Norfolk Street, continuing to about 1837.

However, information provided by Bill Kasper some time back tends to
present some difficulty with this narrative. Specifically, he pointed
out some Sheffield burial list information pertaining to James Cam,
which indicates he died March 31, 1837 - at the age of 65. If this is
correct, he would have only been about 15 years of age at the time of
the 1787 listing. This seems to suggest that the 1787 file maker
listing was for another James Cam ... possibly his father? So, it
seems more likely that the first listing for James Cam, the edge tool
maker, was the 1797 partnership of Cam & Brown.

In any event, the firm of Marshes & Shepherd purchased James Cam's
business, along with the right to use his name/mark, at about the
time of his death. They continued to use the James Cam mark on edge
tools until about 1849, as did their successor, Marsh Brothers &
Company. This latter firm was in business until at least the end of
the century.

As far as I can make out, the plane iron exhibits the mark:

       G. HATTERSLEY
        SHEFFIELD

Gerge Hattersley was in business, as an edge tool maker, from about
1828 until about 1841. First at 87 Eyre Lane, then at 14 Plum Street.

Shear steel is produced from blister steel, which is the product of
the cementation process. Clear as mud, eh? OK ... a little
background.

According to K. C. Barraclough, the earliest account of steel making
by the cementation process comes from Nuremberg in 1601. Though he
also hints it may be significant that the inventor, Johann Nussbaum,
had previously spent some years in Prague.

Very briefly, the cementation process involves placing alternating
layers of iron bars and charcoal into refractory chests, which are
subsequently sealed, or cemented, closed. This prevents the charcoal
from igniting. The chests sit in a large furnace, which is then fired
for a period of a week to ten days. The firing is monitored to maintain
a temperature below the melting point of the iron bars, while carbon
from the charcoal diffuses into the iron bars.

These bars tend to have a blistered, or scaled, appearance when they
emerge from the process - hence the term, blister steel.

The process of producing shear steel from blister steel was introduced
into England by Wilhelm (or William) Bertram, of Germany, who was
apparently shipwrecked on the North Durham coast in 1693. Before long,
he was involved in steel making in Newcastle. Bertram's stamp was
that of a pair of crossed shear blades, which came to be associated
with the product/process he pioneered. Interestingly, this process
doesn't seem to have been introduced into Sheffield until about 1767.

Again, very briefly, shear steel is produced by cutting selected
bars of blister steel into shorter lengths (ca. 18"), fastening them
into bundles using wire, then hot forging them (presumably through
the use of tilt hammers) into an ingot. This results in some hammer
refining and a flexible steel particularly well suited for certain
kinds of cutlery work.

Hope this helps.

Don McConnell
Knox County, Ohio

Until 1742, producing steel was a difficult task. The quality of the steel
was often unreliable. The steel was made by heating iron bars which were
covered in charcoal. The heating was continued for up to a week. The
material produced was called blister steel.

Blister steel was then turned into shear steel by wrapping blister steel
bars up in a bundle and then heating them again before forging the bundle.
The heat and the action of the forge hammer welded the rods together as they
were hammered to the size required. This shear steel was used to make
razors, files, knives, swords and the other steel items for which Sheffield
became famous.

> > >
> > >There are some other puzzling things about it too.  Like what is "shear
> > >steel?"
> > >

Don writes :

>It could be viewed as a smooth sized badger plane, but that is a bit
>problematic since the name, badger, typically implies a toted plane of
>jack size. Or, it might be thought of as a "Smooth [size] Raising Plane"
>(so named in many 19th century British plane maker's price lists),
>though these usually had a fence and, possibly, a nicker and/or depth
>stop.

I've been walking past (with difficulty) one just like this one.  If
it weren't for one cheek being cracked I probably would have bought it.
No fence, or depthstop.  The seller refers to it as a badger plane,
though I too thought they were always toted.

Paul Pedersen     
Montreal (Quebec)

At 11:01 PM 5/7/2004 +0000, you wrote:
>Galooterati,
>
>but it's not like a rabbet plane.  And no nicker either.

What about this doesn't look like a beautiful old skew-bladed
rabbet plane to you?    And how much will you take for it?

Jim

GGs,

I asked, "...what this tool is/was used for?"

And Tony comes back with, "...Looks to be some sort of inside rabbet
plane. Was probably for a special job that someone needed to do."

To which Don added, "could be viewed as a smooth sized badger plane, but
that is a bit problematic since the name, badger, typically implies a
toted plane of jack size. Or, it might be thought of as a "Smooth [size]
Raising Plane"....

!!! Regretful snippage of scholarly tome per OT FAQ !!!

Hope this helps."

Yup. It does. You are right, the iron is G. Hattersly. The last few
letters are barely legible. The cap iron nut pocket for the screw
appears to be forged with the cap iron. There's no weld mark that I can
see and the surface fo the cap iron is profiled to the rectangular nut
in two directions.

The lady I purchased this from called it a panel raising plane. I wasn't
so sure about that but I needed one to make the rasied panels that will
be installed on the bench so I bought it.

Take my pick? I'm with Paul's seller. Badger plane.

Thanks to all who answered and provided much more information than I
had. The information available from this group is amazing. Thanks again.

Pete Mueller GPP, Michigan
> At 07:01 PM 5/7/04, cpmueller@c... wrote:
> >Galooterati,
> >
> >So many whatsits, so little time. Now that I can post some pictures
> >of puzzling planes, let me offer this one up. This plane looks like a
> >coffin smoother but one side of the base is straight, not curved. The
> >straight side has the mouth let in so the iron can snug up against
> >some work but it's not like a rabbet plane. And no nicker either.
> >
> >Find the pix here, all the way at the end: http://home.comcast.net/~-
> >cpmueller/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html
> >
> >There are some other puzzling things about it too. Like what is
> >"shear steel?"
> >
> >I'd like to know what this tool is/was used for. Can anyone
> >please help?
>
> Wow..that's a find. Taylor & Son worked 1843-51. Rated Uncommon in
> Goodman's. Looks to be some sort of inside rabbet plane. Was probably
> for a special job that someone needed to do. That iron and signed cap
> are great!
>
> Tony
>
>
>                          Olde River Hard Goods

>                              350 West Catawissa Street Nesquehoning PA
>                              18240 570-669-9421 The best old tool
>                              store in Pennsylvania!
>                              http://www.oldetoolshop.com
>

Greg writes :

>Blister steel was then turned into shear steel by wrapping blister steel
>bars up in a bundle and then heating them again before forging the bundle.
>The heat and the action of the forge hammer welded the rods together as they
>were hammered to the size required. This shear steel was used to make
>razors, files, knives, swords and the other steel items for which Sheffield
>became famous.

Would it be safe to say that this steel was also used for making 
shears ?  I know a lot of Sheffield toolmakers made shears for the
wool industry.

Or does the name refer to some part of the manufacturing process ?

Paul Pedersen     
Montreal (Quebec)

cpmueller@c... wrote:
> 
> Find the pix here, all the way at the end: 
 > http://home.comcast.net/~cpmueller/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html

Tony Murland calls something identical a "door check plane"
http://www.antiquetools.co.uk/0303.html

and a tool by that name is listed in the FTJ Auction:
http://www.finetoolj.com/toolsalespring04.html

(and, yes, Google was involved in finding that!)

Perhaps a "reference advantaged" galoot can find a more
primary reference, given this "key word"

     BugBear

Hi All,

I'm not sure the plane Tony is selling is really identical to Pete's.
Salaman's Dictionary shows a Coachmaker's Door Check Plane as a fairly
similar type (maybe like what Tony has), but with the blade tips exposed
on both sides. Pete's only had the right side blade tip exposed.
Whelan's The Wooden Plane mentions the Coachmaker's Door Check Plane,
but doesn't picture one; he also says the blade is exposed on both sides
- possibly info he got from Salaman. Described as used to clean up
rebates - sort of like a Badger Plane as has been suggested here as a
possibility. I'd earlier checked both Salaman and Welan looking for
Pete's plane and these hadn't jumped out at me as being it. Pete's is
quite possibly just a variation of the type, but that still leaves a
question of why not made per the "norm"?

I've sent Jack Whelan an email asking for his thoughts on this and will
let you all know if he has any of significance.

Best Wishes,
Bob

Derek Cohen wrote:
> Esteemed brethren of the handtool
> 
> I'm trying to work out what to do with this. It came bundled with a Stanley
> #59 dowelling jig I purchased several months ago, so I suspect that it may
> be used as a depth gauge for auger bits. 
> 
> I have posted a picture on Wood Central since I do not have a website.
> 
> http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/handtools.pl?read=35293

http://jonzimmersantiquetools.com/tools/49_bit_gauge.jpg

     BugBear

On Feb 23, 2005, at 1:41 PM, Jonathan Peck wrote:

> Probably not a backscratcher or bottle oper...any ideas??
>
> http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id 
>

Oooh! Ooooh! I think I know what it is.  There used to be, and may 
still be, barrels that had reuseable tops. These were closed and sealed 
with a strap that had a buckle on it.  This tool would open and close 
the buckle.

Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

______________________________________________________________

Is that a Dutch oven lid lifter?  

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Peck [mailto:jpeck@m...] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 3:41 PM

Probably not a backscratcher or bottle oper...any ideas??

http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id=3D1136

___

______________________________________________________________

Interesting. . . If I were a blacksmith I might want to use such a thing to
bend a steel rod that has been heated in the forge. .

Regards,
Huck

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Peck" 
To: "oldtools" 
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 1:41 PM
Subject: [oldtools] Whatsit??

> Probably not a backscratcher or bottle oper...any ideas??
>
> http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id 
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
>
> To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/oldtools.html

______________________________________________________________

  The object that you have is for use with a wood cook stove. The lower hook 
as shone in the close up, was to lift the round "eye" on top, as we called 
them. the top side was used to hook and open and close the hot oven door.

   It could also lift a lid on a Dutch oven as was subjested.

   Haven't seen one in along time, Thanks, Lamar

>From: Jonathan Peck 
>Reply-To: Jonathan Peck 
>To: "oldtools" 
>Subject: [oldtools] Whatsit??
>Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 16:41:11 -0500
>
>Probably not a backscratcher or bottle oper...any ideas??
>
>http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id 
>
>______________________________________________________________
>Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
>
>To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/oldtools.html

______________________________________________________________

Could be a handle for removing the burner lid from a wood burning stove.
I see them quite often at farm sales around here.

Gary

> 
> http://wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.php?image_id=3D1136

______________________________________________________________